Captive playing ball



Feb. 2'7, 11923. 1,446,641

r c. F. CRAIG CAPTIVE PLAYING BALL Filed Sept. 5, 1921 Jizevem t 011 Cl m Cs *luoz g a v W v barren rarest Q'FFHQE,

CHARLES FREDERICK CRAIG, 01" SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CRAIG GOLFMETER CO., OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

CAIPTIVE PLAYING BALL.

Application filed September 3, 1921. Serial No. 498,215.

To Z2w/mmitmag c'om grn: describe, by reference to the accompanying Be it known that I, Crrannns Fnnnnnion drawings, in which- CRAIG, a citizen of the United States, resid- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my captive 55 ing at the city and county of San Francisco g ilaying-ball, the captive line being broken.

5 and State of California, have invented cer- Fig. 2 is a diametrical section of the same,

tain new and useful Improvements in Gap enlarged, and broken, the dotted lines showtive Playing Balls, of which the following mg the region of greatest flexing stress on is a specification. the captive line. 0

My invention relates to playing-balls held Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section enlarged of 10 captive by a line which defines their path, the outer end of the captive line and the reand limits their projection, under the force inforcing member. of a delivered blow. Such balls,tl1ough they Fig. 4 is an end view of the same. may be of varied nature and used in a va- 1 is a ball, here indicated, for illustration 6 riety of games, are most commonly golfmerely, as agolf-ball. Through the ball diaballs, and are used in connection with an anmetrically is made a hole in which is fitted chor device to which they are held captive, a wearing lining, preferably inthe form of and which registers and indicates the chara metallic tube or thimble 2, the ends of acter, force and-effect of the blow, thereby the tube being swaged and flanged outaffording convenient and satisfactory golfwardly and down upon the ball surface, as 20 practice, in so far as improvement in stroke shown at 2. i

is the end desired. 3 is the captive line. In its best form this In practice of this nature, the blows deline is a flexible metallic cable of suitable livered, being, principally, drives, are parnature. The cable passes freely through ticularly forceful; and it is, therefore, a the metallic thimble 2; and upon its extremmatter of prime importance to provide a ity is fitted a funnel-like collar l larger in secure and durable connection between the diameter of base than the diameter of the captive line and ball. Approved practice, in bore of the thimble, whereby said collar is this regard, comprises some form of attachadapted to fit nicely and aproximately flush ment through the diameter of the ball, and in the outer end of the thimble while holding 30 a pliable, metallic cable, tough under fiexure, the ball on the cable. The strands at the and of great tensile strength. Experience cable extremity are separated and soldered has shown, however, that the cable under the down into the concavity of the collar as inrepeated. sudden and violent bending strain dicated at 4c. imposed upon it in the imniediate vicinity Fitted around the cable helically, is a fiexi 35 of the ball, often breaks at that point, so that ble reinforcing member 5, preferably metal the freed ball becomes an element of danger lie, having the general shape and appearance and destruction. Although it may not be of a closely coiled spring. The outer end of possible to absolutely insure the cable this member 5 is made fast to the end of the against breaking, it is possible to reinforce it cable, as, for example, by means of solder 40 at this point, and thus reduce its liability to applied near the collar 4t, as shown at 5. rupture; but, further than this, it is possi- Said member thence passes freely through ble, in connection with this reinforcement, to the thimble 2 of the ball, and extends along xrake it serve the desirable purposes of temthe cable a distance beyond the inner side porarily still holding the ball captive, even of the ball suflicient to cover and protect that 45 though the cable should break, and of giving portion or section of the cable in the viwarning of the rupture in order that the cinity of the ball which is, as above stated, ball may be discarded before it may, by conand as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. tinned use, finally break all connection and 2, peculiarly susceptible to the flexing stress become fr of the delivered blow, and at its inner end 50 These are the objects of my invention, and said member is made fast to the cable, as by to this end my invention consists in the novel soldering, as indicated at 5". In practice aptive playing-ball which I shall now fully this distance is about an inch and a half more or less, but may be varied if desired, the only requirement being that said mem ber extends far enough beyond the' ball to resist thebending' strain which, is greatest in the vicinity of said ball. i

vThe ball is freely slidable and rotatable upon the helicallyreinforced cable passing through it, the thi'mble in said ball taking care of the wear.

It Will noW be seen that the member 5 not only reinforces and strengthens the cable in the section most needing such provision, but also, has theeffect of stillv holding the ball captive, even though, as sometimes happens, the cable breaks Within the inclosure of said member,because said member is made fast at its inner end tothe cable"; and it also has the further purpose and effect of giving information of said break, and thus giving the user timely warning to desist from the.

use of the ball, this fact being manifest by the undue'spreading of the coils of the helical member 5, in the neighborhood of the break, due to the distortion of the broken cable Within it.

' I have not deemed it necessary to show or describe any anchor device for the other end of the cable, it being understood that the cableis suitably connected with any suit' able" appliance to fulfil the purpose and use of the captive ball;

I claim:-

1 A capti ve' playing-ball comprising a ball; a cablepassing through and headed 1 beyond said ball; and a helically Wound,

ease i flexible, reinforcing member fitted upon the cable and extending from the headed end thereof, through and beyond the ball and made fast at its'inner end to said cable.

2. A captive playing-ball comprising a ball; a cable passing through and headed beyond said ball; and a heiically Wound, 7

cable and extending from the headed end thereof freely throughand beyond the thimble, and made fast at its inner endto said cable.

4:. A captive playing-ball comprising a ball; a wearing thimblepassing diametrically through and secured to said ball; a cable passing freely through and headed beyond said thimble; and a helically Wound, flexible, reinforcing member fitted upon the cable and made fast to its headed end, saidmember thence passing-freelythrough and beyond said thimble and made fast at its inner end to said cable.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification 7 CHARLES FREDERICK CRAIG.

have signed my 

